2023-10-18 19:19:00
“A lone wolf”, this is how the Belgian federal prosecutor described Abdessalem Lassoued, a 45-year-old Tunisian jihadist who killed two Swedes in Brussels on Monday October 16. There are “no indications of a network,” the Belgian Ministry of Justice said on Tuesday.
However, the term “lone wolf” is far from unanimous among experts on the terrorist issue. “It is a political and media construction which defines a vague reality. In the case of Islamist attacks in Europe, this theory does not really hold,” said Sarah Perret, researcher in international relations at the Catholic University of Lille and ENS Paris, recalling the case of Anders Breivik. This Norwegian terrorist killed 77 people in his country in 2011. “He was described as a lone wolf for a long time before discovering that he had been radicalized by reading far-right writings. There is no such thing as self-radicalization. »
A terrorist is never alone
Is a lone wolf really alone? Not really, according to Nathalie Cettina, researcher specializing in counter-terrorism issues. “He is a solitary actor, but not completely isolated, who is immersed in a virtual environment or an entourage encouraging him to be radical. »
In reality, a terrorist is necessarily surrounded. “Even if they are alone on the day of the attack, there is an ideological propaganda device behind it. You can be labeled as a terrorist without necessarily having contacts with jihadist leaders,” explains Myriam Benraad, professor of international relations at Schiller International University and author of Terrorism: the pangs of revenge (ed. The Blue Rider).
If the “lone wolf” does not belong to a terrorist group, how can we explain the allegiance to the Islamic State proclaimed by Abdessalem Lassoued, a few minutes after killing two Swedes in Brussels? “Claim to a known organization that has an aura allows a person to give weight to their action. And these organizations encourage solitary initiatives and then recover these acts,” explains Nathalie Cettina. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the Brussels attack, explaining that “this attack occurs in the context of operations carried out by ISIS to target nationals of the countries of this coalition. »
This tactic of terrorist groups is not new. Already, in September 2014, the Islamic State called for attacking Westerners alone, without going to the Iraqi-Syrian zone. “If you can kill an American or European unbeliever, especially the evil and dirty French, then rely on Allah and kill him any way you can. Hit his head with a stone, slit his throat with a knife, run him over with your car, throw him from a high place, strangle him or poison him,” the terrorist organization invoked.
The objective of these calls: “to maintain at a lower cost an atmosphere of fear for Western society”, according to Jenny Raflik, professor of history of international relations at the University of Nantes and author of Terrorism in France. “We call this the strategy of a thousand notches. These actions do not require major logistics and are not expensive. For these groups, it’s free publicity that allows them to continue living. »
The role of social networks
Lone wolves are even less isolated via social media. “It is the first channel of radicalization, of access to the ideas of these terrorist groups. There is radicalization through family, friends or prison. But the Internet has changed things: without it, some would not have become what they are,” believes Myriam Benraad.
“Social networks are very important for these terrorists,” also observes Elizabeth Sheppard, lecturer in international relations at the University of Tours. The latter cites two examples: the attacks in Christchurch, New Zealand in 2019, during which the terrorist, Brenton Tarrant, broadcast his act live on Facebook. Another case, the more recent one of Hamas. “During their attack on Israel, they all wore GoPros,” she notes. Their objective ? “To scare us and also inspire others to do the same. »
On Tuesday morning, Belgian police shot dead Abdessalem Lassoued. The Belgian federal prosecutor’s office is continuing the investigations. The threat of an attack in Belgium has fallen back to level 3, with Prime Minister Alexander De Croo estimating that “the imminent nature of the threat no longer exists. »
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